February 19 - Luigi Boccherini; György Kurtág (The Musical Birthday Series, 7th Annual Cycle)

Previous posts for February 19th are here: Luigi Boccherini (2020), Adelina Patti (2021), Elfrida Andrée; Tobias Matthay (2022), Elfrida Andrée; Luigi Boccherini (2023), Luigi Boccherini (2024), and Felip Pedrell; Johann Adam Birkenstock (2025)

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Luigi Boccherini (19 February 1743 – 28 May 1805) was an Italian cellist and extremely prolific composer, mostly for his instrument.  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Speculation

He wrote a large amount of chamber music, including over one hundred string quintets, a dozen guitar quintets, nearly a hundred string quartets, and a number of string trios, and at least nineteen cello sonatas). His orchestral music includes around thirty symphonies and twelve cello concertos.  – adapted from Wikipedia

Did an elf or a genie

Assist Boccherini

To write all those pieces

That filled his valises

When he went to convince

Some noble or prince

To hire this fellow

So skilled on the cello?

 

 

♫♪♫♪♫♪♫♪♫♪♫♪♫♪♫♪♫♪♫♪♫♪♫♪♫♪♫♪♫♪♫♪♫♪♫♪♫♪  

 

 

 

György Kurtág (b. 19 February 1926) is an important Hungarian composer. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Observation

An audience was known to beef

That György Kurtág's pieces are so brief.

 

 

 

 

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February 18 -- Friedrich Christian Ruppe (The Musical Birthday Series, 7th Annual Cycle)

Previous posts for February 18th are here: John Travolta (2020), Yoko Ono (2021), Johann Christian Heinrich Rinck (2022), Johann Christian Kittel (2023), Tom Jones (2024), and Pee Wee King (2025)

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Friedrich Christian Ruppe (18 February 1771 -- 4 August 1834) was a chamber musician at the court of Meininger. He was the much younger brother of the slightly better-known musician Christian Friedrich Ruppe.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Oh Brothers!

This man obtained no earthly fame,

But I will treat him all the same,

And tell the story of his name.

His parents named their younger son,

Perhaps in spite, perhaps in fun,

With reference to the elder one.

And thus the younger brother nursed

Resentment that his life was cursed

To bear his sibling's name (reversed).

 

 

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February 17 - Henri Vieuxtemps (The Musical Birthday Series, 7th Annual Cycle)

Previous posts for February 17th are here: Arcangelo Corelli (2020), Banjo Paterson (2021), Arcangelo Corelli (2022), Edward German (2023), Ed Sheeran (2024), and Margaret Truman; Friedrich Cerha (2026)

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Henri Vieuxtemps (17 February 1820 – 6 June 1881) was a Belgian composer and violinist.  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Golden Tones

Vieuxtemps is also known for owning and playing what is now referred to as the Vieuxtemps Guarneri del Gesù. – Wikipedia 

The reported 2012 purchase price of the "Vieuxtemps" violin exceeded $16m (£10.5m). – derived from Wikipedia, s.v. "Vieuxtemps Guarneri"

Henri Vieuxtemps owned a great violin

   That was made by Giuseppe Guarieri,

So it's safe to imagine, that to his chagrin,

The Questions and Answers would always begin:

   "So, is it expensive?"  – "Yes, very!"

 

 

 

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February 16 - Vera-Ellen (The Musical Birthday Series, 7th Annual Cycle)

Previous posts for February 16th are here: Alec Wilder (2020), Sonny Bono (2021), Johann Strauss III (2022), Johann Strauss III (2023), Patty Andrews (2024), and Johann Strauss III (2025)

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Vera-Ellen (16 February 1921 – 30 August 1981) was an American dancer, actress, and singer. She is best known for her starring roles in On the Town (1949) and White Christmas (1954). 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Brief Bio

Dancing actress Vera-Ellen

Found some roles she could excel in;

She danced a lot, and sang a bit,

White Christmas was her biggest hit.

 

 

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February 15 - Jacob Kimball Jr. (The Musical Birthday Series, 7th Annual Cycle)

Previous posts for February 15th are here: John Adams (2020), Harold Arlen (2021), Georges Auric; Jean Langlais (2022), Henry Engelhard Steinway (2023), Harold Arlen (2024), and Walter Donaldson; Harold Arlen (2025)

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Jacob Kimball Jr. (15 February 1761 - 24 July 1826) was one of the first American composers.  He played fife and drum in the American Revolutionary War and participated in Battle of Lexington and Bunker Hill. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Sounds of Freedom 1

In this quarter-millennial year

I'm using these verses to cheer

This man who played fife

And drum in the strife

Which created the land we hold dear.

 

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Sounds of Freedom 2 

In this our semi-quincentennial year

I'd like to take a solemn moment here
To sing the praise of Jacob Kimball Junior,

Who made the bloody battlefield tunier

With stirring music on the fife and drum,

And helped to found that land that would become

These great United States, freed from the bond

Of rule by George the Third across the Pond.

 

 

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